Sterling Gray

Sterling T. Gray PORTSMOUTH - Sterling Thornton Gray, 90, died Sunday, May 30, 2010, at a local nursing home in Suffolk. Thornton was a veteran of World War II, serving in the Navy as a shipfitter. He continued being a loftsman until his retirement from Norfolk Naval Shipyard in 1975. He began his second career as a carpenter, specializing in wood trim work, for a local custom home builder contractor until he retired again. After his last retirement, he continued making custom- made wood furniture for both family and friends including two bookcases of his own design that are still in use in the music library of Westhaven Baptist Church in Portsmouth. His main hobby was boats. He built his own 19-foot wood/fiberglass boat in the 1950s, which he enjoyed taking out and enjoying the local waterways with his children. He also enjoyed going to the city park and downtown waterfront to watch local boat races during the summer as well as just watching other people enjoying the waterways in their boats. He was preceded in death by his wife of 56 years, Phyllis Gray. He is survived by his daughter, Debbie Gray of Portsmouth and two sons, Paul Gray of Portsmouth and Kevin Gray and his wife Kathleen Gray of Spring Valley, Minn.; brother, Alfred Gray and sister Carolyn Smith and her husband Leonard, all of Portsmouth. He is also survived by five sisters-in-law, three brothers- in-law, many loving nieces and nephews. Visitation will be Thursday, June 3, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in Snellings Funeral Home, Portsmouth Blvd. Chapel. A funeral will be held at the funeral home Friday, June 4, at 11 a.m. Burial will be a private service in Greenlawn Memorial Park in Chesapeake. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the building fund at Westhaven Baptist Church, 4900 Caroline Ave., Portsmouth, VA 23707. Condolences may be offered to the family at www.snellingsfuneralhome. com.